Climate change is an ever debatable topic in our society. The questions of whether it is a conspiracy theory, the natural cycle of the world, or more, typically arise when it is addressed. Rather than igniting a heated debate based on theories, it is important to tackle the changes that need to be made to better our environment. Very few will debate that our country, and much of our world, is far too reliant on fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources are finally becoming a common topic in the world, and people are realizing the importance of adopting them. As solar power technology advances and becomes more accessible, it is vital to look into the impact one home’s conversion to solar power can have on the world, and the potential solar power has.

One of the tools Astralux uses when proposing a solar job is what is referred to as a SAT, or Solar Assessment Tool. This uses standard predictions of energy prices, average energy use, pollution and more to calculate the effect one solar system can have on the environment, and the owner’s pocket book. A standard home’s solar system size is generally around 5 kW, but for this example we will look at a hypothetical home installing a smaller, 3.36 kW system, and its impact. Based on our calculations, a system this size will prevent 5,208 pounds of coal from being burned every year, and take the harmful emissions of 1.1 cars per year off the road. Over 25 years of the system’s life, it is estimate that it will prevent 222,276 pounds of CO2, which is the leading green house gas, 640 pounds of NOx, which creates smog, 579 pounds of SO2, which causes acid rain, and 39 pounds of particulates that cause asthma. Furthermore, over 25 years this hypothetical solar system will offset the energy of 324,556 miles driven on an average car (or 12,982 miles per year), 1,058,456 hours lighting a 100 Watt bulb, or 58 average American televisions. To summarize, in 25+ years, this solar system would offset 85% of the average human’s harmful emissions.

A question on your mind may be where we currently get our energy from. The answer to that is, 49.8% coal, 19.9% nuclear, 17.9% natural gas, 6.5% hydroelectric, 3.0% petroleum, 2.3% other renewables, 0.4% other gases, and 0.2% other. In general, one kWh from the standard energy company means, 2.1 pounds of CO2 are released into the environment and 1.23 pounds of coal are burned. Do the math using that with your monthly energy bill, and you can see the impact you are having. The United States total energy use is 3.3 terawatts in a year (1 terawatt = 1 trillion watts). Considering the sun produces enough energy in one minute to power the earth for a year, the question is how that can be captured. All it would take to detain enough sun to power the earth for a year would be 160 billion square meters of land. Granted, that sounds like a decent amount, but when you consider the size of the United States, it is very possible. Furthermore, the idea is not that this space should be a chunk out of the middle of Kansas; think of it spread out over the rooftops of 300 million Americans, and the goal is reached. America has the potential to reduce its need for fossil fuels and to better our environment for our future generations. That answer is solar and other renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, biomass, etc.

What are you doing to reduce climate change? The little actions count and make a difference, but the big steps are right in front of you and just as easily accessible.

www.blogactionday.org

The Proliferation of Solar in the Media

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Nichole Lecander
Astralux Power Systems
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Nowadays, you can’t read a newspaper, watch the news, or browse the internet without running across something related to the green movement. The green revolution is everywhere, it is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years, and is currently generating $250 billion annually. Every part of our daily lives can be impacted by green initiatives, such as the cars we drive, the products we buy, and who we elect for public office. New businesses are being built on green motives, and already existing businesses are changing practices to become “greener” focused. This revolution is nothing new when comparing changes in past economies, such as the industrial revolution. We are constantly changing eras due to new technologies, what is different about this revolution is the media coverage and how the media has impacted our thoughts and ideas on this new economy.

Today, the media is a huge part of everyone’s life. People today are constantly bombarded with news and opinions. We are more connected than ever before, which makes sharing information incredibly easy and addictive. We turn on the TV or computer and learn the most recent happenings throughout the world, including the problems plaguing our nation, especially when it comes to oil dependency and global warming and the green revolution is portrayed as a solution to these dilemmas. The green revolution is seen as progressing from an economy based on dirty, nonrenewable resources to clean resources that can be used forever. We have begun to see the consequences of using nonrenewable energies as a source for power, and are realizing how finite these resources are. Scientists have known for a couple of decades the dangers of dependence on nonrenewable energies, but the public has been slow to see these problems and the media deserves much of the credit to changing the way the public thinks about going green.

The public has not always had such a positive outlook on environmental issues. For instance, the term environmentalist has had a negative connotation since the first environmental movement in the 1970’s and with the radical environmentalists of the 1990’s. Today, however, anyone can be an environmentalist. Environmentalism is not seen as terribly outrageous, many people try to green their lives in small ways that does not make them appear extreme, but responsible. This is due in large part to the media, which has suddenly become fascinated with anything green.

The Green movement can be found everywhere, from Oprah to the Today Show to episodes of Jon and Kate plus Eight. Tips of how to green your life as well as stories of people who are making a difference can be found easily across many media sources, not just TV. MSN frequently publishes green material as a main item in their newsfeed, as well as a Green Living button on the top of the site where a person can find advice for just about anything. Newspapers regularly run articles about the benefits of going green and talk shows have segments involving the best way to green your home. Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” can be credited with generating enough media attention to make global warming such an important issue. Now many consumers think about how their lifestyle is affecting our planet and what they can do to help. A channel dedicated to becoming more eco-conscious has appeared through Direct TV. “Planet Green” allows viewers to learn more about becoming green through others’ examples as well as providing small tips that make a big difference in helping the environment. NBC has launched an annual “green week” where they broadcast 150 hours of environmentally themed content during April when Earth Day occurs. They incorporate green themed storylines into several daytime and primetime shows, and also provide a website dedicated to “greening your routine.” When successful corporations begin changing major practices and demonstrating how their company fits into this green era, it becomes apparent how important it is to go green and the media is the number one way to get the word out that a company holds these values.

The green movement in the media has grown so much recently that powerful companies are not only paying attention, but changing their image to appear more environmentally friendly. Exxon Mobil, whose focus is selling and producing petroleum products, has created commercials stating how their scientists are constantly researching more energy efficient and environmentally friendly practices. This is the world’s largest oil company in a world that is constantly demanding more and more energy and they see the importance of making their image more environmentally conscious. BP, formerly British Petroleum has changed their tagline to Beyond Petroleum in hopes of coming across as more green. This shows how important the green movement is, these companies know the green revolution will not be a passing fad, but needs to be taken seriously when deciding how to portray themselves to the media and their customers.

Other events have furthered the green movement, such as news coverage on global warming, our dependency on foreign oil, and our wasteful habits that have helped bring upon our current economic crisis. Today, more and more people are paying closer attention to how their current lifestyle impacts themselves, their family, and the environment. This involves paying close attention to their energy resources, which has encouraged families to look into alternative forms of energy, specifically solar.

The prevalence of the media has greatly increased the acceptance of solar in our society. The past attempts at making solar energy more popular may have failed due to the lack of media support. This new technology was seen as a good thing, but it was not regarded as terribly urgent, so it was not given the amount of attention as it is now. Today, we are constantly hearing about problems such as global warming, oil dependency, and rising fuel costs, and solar is conveyed as a product to help alleviate these problems. Government initiatives have also sparked recent media attention, especially concerning the stimulus package. President Obama specifically mentioned solar when he signed the stimulus bill in Denver while observing panels on the rooftop of a museum. While past renewable energy measures encouraged the growth of this industry, these new measures are more beneficial and encourage consumers to invest in renewable energy. These new incentives have prompted more media coverage, which will increase the popularity of solar, which will in turn produce new incentives for the growth of this industry even further, causing higher efficiencies and better economies of scale. States are also proposing new bills that create a more favorable environment for the implementation of solar. For instance, Colorado is proposing that builders be required to offer different options concerning renewable energy, such as pre-wiring for a potential solar system to the installation of an actual solar system. The US has implemented solar legislation that has set the stage for solar to flourish in the future, just as other countries have, such as Germany and Japan. Germany is the leading market when it comes to solar energy. The market for photovoltaic systems tripled in 2004, which caused an enormous rise in investment. The price of fossil fuels has also been on the rise between the years 2004-2008, which makes solar even more attractive to consumers. These reasons, along with strong initiatives implemented by the government, made Germany the leading solar country, which may come as a surprise since Germany does not have the reputation as being the sunniest place in the world.

Companies that manufacture solar products are also beginning to become more prevalent in the media. Sharp is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of home appliances, business products, entertainment electronics, and solar systems. While they are no stranger to the media, their marketing tactics have changed slightly to bring solar into the spotlight. They are a hugely successful company and now see a great opportunity to expand their market by promoting their solar products in their commercials. Before, their commercials included glimpses of these solar systems, but focused on other products they offered, while today some commercials are focused primarily on these systems. This illustrates how important solar is expected to be in the near future and how companies are taking advantage of this valuable opportunity in a growing industry.

Although the media today typically portrays solar in a positive light, there are those who do not find solar as a positive investment and do not see the importance of switching to renewable energies at this time. The expense of solar is the most common hindrance to the solar industry, and people think it is not efficient enough or has reached the economies of scale necessary to make this purchase worthwhile. While most people are in agreement about the negative aspects of our dependence on foreign oil, the solution for this problem is up for debate. Some people think we should invest in oil exploration in our own country instead of investing in renewables. The current green movement portrayed by our media is generally in favor of renewable energy because of the harmful effects more drilling will have on our environment and the continued negative effects fossil fuels have on our air. There is no escaping the age of information we are in today which gives the media a lot of power over the information we receive, but we do know what is good for the environment and ourselves in the long run.

Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/closing-door-building-new-coal-fired-power-america.php?daylife=1&dcitc=daylife-article

Possible regulations limiting the amount of CO2 emitted in our atmosphere are slowing and even halting the constuction of coal fired power plants around the U.S. Nearly half of the proposed coal fired power plants have been cancelled or placed on hold in the last three years due to these possible limitations on carbon dioxide emissions.

Coal is being hit the hardest because it releases more CO2 per unit of energy than any other energy source. Due to our ever increasing demand for energy, we will need to look to other forms of energy to replace coal. The decline in coal fired power plant construction is a step in the right direction to switching from nonrewable energy to renewable energy that is healthier for the environment and ourselves.

Link: http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=solar-power-pay-upfront.htm&url=http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/headlines/solar/

From an article found at www.howstuffworks.com:

Not only are you helping the economy and the environment by investing in solar panels at a crucial time for both, it makes more sense to buy them sooner than later to avoid paying constantly rising energy prices. While other technologies do drop significantly in price, such as personal computers, solar panels are a mature technology that has not changed drastically in recent years. Current rebates on solar panels are a great deal now, so take advantage now! These rebates may not be such a great deal in the future once more and more people begin to install solar, so make sure you take advantage of a good situation.